Theodore "Ted" Robinson (born on July 19, 1957 in Queens, New York) is an American sportscaster. He is currently the radio play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco 49ers, having taken over for longtime 49ers announcer, Joe Starkey, following Starkey's retirement in 2009.
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Ted Robinson grew up in Rockville Centre, New York and attended Chaminade High School. He is a 1978 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he hired and worked with former Notre Dame Football coach Charlie Weis at the college radio station. His wife, Mary, is also a '78 ND grad, and his two children graduated from ND: Annie in 2005 and Pat in 2008. He and his wife reside in Atherton, California. After graduating, Ted got his first job broadcasting Hockey for a minor league team in Oklahoma City. He went on to become a two-time Emmy Award winning Broadcaster.
Robinson has served as the lead announcer of NBC's tennis coverage since 2000, when he succeeded Dick Enberg following ther latter's departure to CBS. Robinson has called the French Open and (through 2011) Wimbledon Championships for NBC. He also broadcasts for the Tennis Channel. He broadcasted the US Open for 22 years on USA Network, receiving acclaim for his partnership with John McEnroe, which continues on NBC and Tennis Channel.
Robinson has worked for a number of Major League Baseball teams over the years. He served as a radio and TV announcer for the San Francisco Giants for 9 seasons, as the TV announcer of the Minnesota Twins for 6 seasons, as a TV and radio announcer for the New York Mets for 4 seasons, and as the TV announcer for the Oakland Athletics for 3 seasons.
In addition to his work with the Athletics, Mets, Twins, and Giants, Robinson worked for The Baseball Network as an announcer for two years, worked four years on NBC Sports' Major League Baseball Game of the Week, and spent several years as a play-by-play voice for CBS Radio's Game of the Week. In 2007, Robinson teamed with Steve Stone to call the American League Division Series for TBS.
Robinson returned to calling Twins games in 2011, calling play-by-play for the team's radio broadcasts on a part-time basis due to primary announcer John Gordon working a reduced schedule prior to retiring after the season.
Robinson's voice is featured in the movie A Few Good Men as he announces a Minnesota Twins game being watched by Tom Cruise's character.
Robinson will continue as NBC's diving commentator for the 2012 London Olympics and has been a play-by-play man for the last seven Olympic Games (four Winter Olympics and three Summer Olympics). His two Summer Olympic assignments were baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where the U.S. baseball team upset Cuba for the gold medal, and diving and canoeing at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, both for NBC. His two Winter Olympics assignments were short track speed skating, freestyle skiing, and the giant slalom snowboarding event at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano for CBS, and short track at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and 2010 Winter Olympics, this time for NBC. Robinson served as the play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports coverage of Diving at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[1]
Robinson has called many other sports over the years, including college basketball for CBS TV and radio. He has broadcast the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship tournament on radio for 24 years, currently with Westwood One. For NBC, he has covered swimming and diving, arena football, ski jumping, luge, equestrian, and triathlons. From 1980-82 he served as a color commentator on radio broadcasts of the NHL Minnesota North Stars. In 1983 at the age of 26, he was named play-by-play voice of the NBA Golden State Warriors, a position he held for two seasons. In 1989-90, he was the TV voice of the NBA Charlotte Hornets. He called Pac-10 Basketball for FSN and in 2011 he continues his college football work for VERSUS as the play-by-play voice of Pac 12 football. He was the radio voice of Stanford football for 13 years, has broadcast Notre Dame football and basketball, University of Minnesota basketball, and University of California basketball. In 2008 and 2007, he hosted College Football Central for Versus, for whom he also called play-by-play of Pac-10 football and Mountain West basketball in 2009 and 2010.
In his 22 years at USA Network, he called Grand Slam tennis events, boxing, college basketball, PGA Tour golf, and the World League of American Football.
Robinson became the radio play-by-play voice of the NFL San Francisco 49ers in 2009, taking over the position with the retirement of Joe Starkey.[2]
One notable game Robinson called was in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Basketball Tournament, when 13th seeded Valparaiso University upset 4th seeded Ole Miss in dramatic fashion. Point guard Bryce Drew hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, winning the game for the Valpo Crusaders, 70-69. Robinson's call went like this:
| “ | The inbounder will be Jamie Sykes, Carter pressuring... It's to Jenkins, to Drew for the win! GOOD!!! HE DID IT!! BRYCE DREW DID IT!! VALPO HAS WON THE GAME, A MIRACLE!! (after a short pause) An absolute miracle! Bryce Drew has won it for Valparaiso! | ” |
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